Aeroplane.



scor'r H. Toms/1111a, or BOSTON," MASSACHUSETTS.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

ApplicationfiledDecember 2811912. I 7 Serial No. 739,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. Soo'r'r H. TOLMAN, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to aeroplanes, and its object is to provide a frame structure adapted to be used in conjunction with a supporting plane made of flexible sheet material and adapted to shape the supporting plane so as to divide the same into a series of longitudinal troughs.

Of the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form in which the invention may be embodied: Figure 1 represents an inverted plan View of the frame structure without the supporting element of flexible sheet material, the right end being, broken away. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of one of the longitudinal ribs. sents a vertical cross section through the frame structure. Fig. 4 represents a vertical cross section including a plurality of frame ribs, a plurality of divisions of the supporting plane, and means for supporting the plane structure between the ribs when the aeroplane is not in use.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

The frame comprises a series of longitudinal ribs 10 'which are so disposed as to engage the upper side of the supporting plane or gliding element indicated by dotted lines 11 in Fig. 8. One of these longitudinal ribs is shown separately by Fig. 2. The lower edge of each rib is even, the word even in the present instance meaning unwavering or free from irregularities. It 'does not necessarily mean the same as the word straight, for although the lower edge of the rib is substantially straight, a rib curving slightly up or down would be within the scope of the invention. provided it were even as above defined. The several ribs are suitably braced or trussed to make them substantially rigid. When the aeroplane is dependent upon the air for support, the several ribs rest upon the supporting plane 11."

These ribs are arranged side by side, as shown by Figs. 1 and 3. and are connected with each other by transverse load-sustaining arms12. The extremities of the ribs are connected with each other by any suitable connecting means 13 such as rods or a Fig. 3 reprecable. A car rbody 1+ is suspended below the central;longitudinal rib. The car 1-1 is to"be-rega1j ld aa-s the load when the aeroplane is traveling, and it is sustained by the arms lzywhich" in turn are sustained by thev sevembribsj11." Asshown by Fig. 3, the

lower edges of-the longitudinal ribs are all below the transverse arms 12, and there is sufiicient' space between the ribs to enable the supporting planes 11 to assume an arclr like cross section as shown. Vhen the aeroplane is in use, the flexible sheet material 11 will be arched as shown in consequence of the supporting action of the atmosphere, and the entire supporting surface will thus be divided into longitudinal troughs which will be difined by the ribs 10. This formation of the supporting plane will tend to prevent sidewise drifting of the aeroplane and will also tend to confine the progress of the aeroplane to a straight course. The lower edges of the ribs 10 are all far enough below the crossarms 12 to hold the plane 11 out of contact with the cross arms sothere will not be any crossribs or projections formed in the plane.

Fig. 4 shows means for supporting the flexible sheet material 11 between the ribs when the aeroplane is not in use. The provisions for this purpose comprise collapsible webs or tethers 15 connected respectively to the flexible material 11 and to the frame structure. \Vhen there is no upward pres sure of air to arch the material 11, the tethers 15 will support the material 11 so that it will not sag below the ribs 10 and will thus keep the material 11 in operative position relatively to the ribs.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described away of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all the forms in which it may be made or all the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. An aeroplane comprising a gliding element. and a frame structure including load-sustaining members extending transversely and ribs depending from said loadsustaining members and extending fore and aft, said ribs having even lower edges arranged to rest upon the upper surface of said gliding element to transmit the supporting effect from the latterto said loadsustaining members. said load-sustaining members being arranged between the fore and. aft limits of said gliding element.

2. An aeroplane comprising a gliding element, and a frame structure including frame members extending transversely. above said gliding element and between the fore and aft limits of the latter, and ribs fastened to and depending from said frame members and arranged to rest upon the upper surface of said gliding elementto keep the lat ter out of contact with said frame members, said gliding element being arranged to form fore and afttroughs between said ribs.

3. An aeroplane comprising a plane of flexible sheet material, a frame having depending longitudinal ribs disposed to rest upon the plane, and means depending from 15 In testimony whereof I have aflixed my 20 signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

SCOTT H. ,TOLMAN.

Witnesses WALTER P. ABELL, P. W. PEZZETTI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' '1' Washington, D. C. 

